The present invention relates to a process and an apparatus for cutting the spacing wire of nuclear fuel rods or needles and more generally applicable to the cutting off of any thin, long metal part placed on a larger support.
The presently used processes for disengaging the spacing wire from nuclear fuel rods when the latter have stopped operating are generally mechanical processes consisting firstly of disengaging the point by which the wire is fixed to the rod using a rotary tool or by melting the wire and the weld spot using an electric arc or a high frequency source before cutting up the wire into small pieces, mechanical methods always being used. These non-repetetive processes make it necessary to recognize the positioning of the wire, i.e. its orientation relative to the rod and after disengaging the wire it is not always easy to cut it up into small pieces. It is also necessary to work in contact with the element which is to be destroyed.